The Amazing Salamander
by BBQatMidnight
Summary: /SuperheroAU!/ Lizard Man Salamander has a problem: his love interest is freaking scared of lizards.
1. The Beauty and The Lizard

**Hi :)**

 **I know I still have another story that I really need to update soon but you know...**

 **...Fine I'll admit I have a writer's block :'(**

 **Then suddenly this idea just popped out in my mind after I watched The Amazing Spider-Man so I thought 'Hey why don't I try to write it for fun?'**

 **So here it is!**

 **Enjoy :)**

* * *

 _The Beauty and The Lizard_

* * *

Welcome to Fiore City, where superheroes do exist.

Not just one, there're _seven_ well-known superheroes who contributed to the peace of the city. Each has their own special powers, names, not to forget their fan clubs who'd gladly create rambunctious discussions about who's the strongest superhero.

This story revolves around one of the superheroes; widely famous as Lizard Man 'Salamander'. He's a superhero with blazing pyrokinetic power and the ability to talk with lizards, all lizards in the city probably fall under his command. His iconic image is a young man who wears a fire-proof tight suit with reddish scale-like patterns all over it except the torso, which is light in colour and his perfectly ripped abs can be spotted (his fangirls have nosebleed at the sight of it). He wears a mask that matches his outfit and a scarf that's wrapped around his neck. Oh, and his spiky hair is c _rimson red._

But nah, this story is not about Salamander who fights incoming threats and villains. This story is more crucial, nerve-racking, and need flawless systematic methods to reach the goal. Ladies and gentlemen, this is his struggles as he tries to win over a woman's heart.

* * *

Love at first sight was the description of Natsu Dragneel's encounter with Lucy Heartfilia. That, if only Natsu ever knew about romance.

The real Salamander was beyond frozen when the blonde beauty sat beside him in one of their classes at the start of their college, and it took a whole minute for him to snap his eyes off her. Using up all his pride and flaming spirit, Natsu started a conversation and they became close friends. And so, Lucy Heartfilia became his reason to go to campus every day, not because he wanted to study.

After their class was over, it was their routine to go to cafeteria to hang out with their friends. Fortunately, the two belonged to the same group of friends; it was totally a surprise for Natsu to find out that Lucy's best friend was Levy, his classmate in high school. That just made things easier!

As if.

"Oi, Ash Brain," a familiar voice pulled him back to the present, Natsu groaned and opened his eyes sleepily. He was half-asleep as he laid his head on the table; still exhausted from going 'Salamander' last night. "Whaddaya want, Ice Cube?" he glanced at his nemesis aka best pal Gray beside him who ate ice cubes like they were candies. "Heard about the bank robbery yesterday," he smirked as he whispered, "Way to go saving the day by setting the bank on fire."

He's also one of very few people who knew his alter ego. A vein popped out on Natsu's head as he remembered what happened last night; 'The Truly Evil Jiggle Butt Gang' attempted to rob a bank on his 'domain', that's why he took action. He did stop them but being a pyromaniac like he was, leaving a trail of fire was his guilty pleasure. He _never_ thought it'd set the bank on fire. Fortunately, the police who worked with him already called firefighters who acted as safety measures every time he used his power. So, all's well that ends well.

"At least I kicked ass," he defended himself. As if it was a coincidence, the TV in the cafeteria showed the news of his heroic deeds yesterday. His colleagues start to talk about the fiery Salamander excitedly, and it made Natsu feel proud of himself. However, his mind and soul were distracted by the sight of a beautiful young woman entering the cafeteria.

Lucy entered the cafeteria with Levy in tow, those two besties chatting like usual. Natsu prayed to the heavens for them to notice him. Much to his pleasure, fortune was on his side as Levy noticed him who then pulled Lucy towards them, hell yeah! She's going to sit in front of him-

"Keep your pants intact, perv," Gray noticed Natsu's centre of attention aka Lucy then teased him. Natsu elbowed him in annoyance as Levy and Lucy greeted them, "Hi guys!" Levy started, "Mind if we sit with you two?" she asked.

"Go ahead!" Natsu grinned toothily, the two girls took a seat and Natsu cried in joy on his mind as Lucy sat in front of him. "Hi, Natsu!" Lucy greeted him with her sing-song voice, the pink-haired man greeted back smoothly, "Yo, Luce!" They ordered some food (The guys already ate, but they didn't mind eating again) and chatted together.

"Oh, yeah, where's Erza?" Natsu asked while chewing a spicy fried rice he ordered twice, "Oh, she's with Jellal. A date on this peaceful weather is definitely not a miss," Levy told him. "Speaking of Erza," Lucy suddenly cut in, "She told me she just won free tickets to go somewhere and invited me and Levy-chan! If I ever met you guys she wanted me to ask if you want to go-"

"I'm in!" Natsu and Gray said in unison. Lucy smiled widely, "Great! I'll tell her right away," she grabbed her phone and started texting Erza. "By the way, since our classes are over, why don't we hang out together?" Levy asked everyone. Natsu was beyond delighted since hanging out together meant hanging out with Lucy-

"Aww, Levy-chan," Lucy pouted, "We still have to do our small project," she reminded her of their 'homework'. Levy dramatically clutched her head. _Good bye, hang out_ , "Why do you have to remind me?!"

"Exactly!" Gray did the same, he's stuck with Natsu as his freaking co-worker and trust him he never worked. The accused lazy bastard pretended not to hear and enjoyed the pleasant taste of his apple juice. Lucy tucked a turf of her blonde hair behind her ear then added, "Besides, I need to check on my baby-"

 _Bluerghfsht!_

"Fuck!" Gray yelled as Natsu spat his juice over his face, ignoring him Natsu jumped over the table and brought his face five centimetres close to Lucy's in utter shock then shouted, "YOUR BABY?!"

All eyes in the cafeteria were on them.

"…Oh, um, that, I mean," Lucy blushed, averting her face from Natsu's because they were so close to rub each other's noses, "I need to babysit someone."

"Babysit," Natsu repeated then slumped back onto his seat, letting out the longest sigh of relief. He even ignored Gray who used his scarf to wipe his juicyface. Levy laughed at the scene, "You should've seen your faces!" she teased the two, earning a fit of wails from her best friend.

After smacking Gray's head, Natsu went to men's restroom to clean up his scarf and did stuff, seemed like the misunderstanding almost made him pee on his pants. When he was washing his hands on the sink-

 _*kik kik kik*_

"Ha?" Natsu mumbled and lifted his head to the restroom's ceiling, only to find a small lizard hanging on the ceiling. After checking that no one was in the restroom-

"Yo, little buddy," using his ability to talk to lizards, Natsu greeted it. The lizard crawled from the ceiling to his hand as Natsu reached out to it. "What're you doin' here?" he asked, bringing the little reptile close to his face, "Tryin' to leak the lizard?"

Awkward silence.

The lizard let out small noises that only Natsu understood, "Oh, you get lost? Well, don't worry, your king's going to help ya!" Natsu lived up to his other title as 'King of Lizards'. He put the lizard on his right shoulder then went out the restroom. "What? You're hungry as well? You want me to treat you a fried rice? I bet you can't bear the spiciness-you still want it?! I like your guts!" people around him were too busy walking that they didn't notice a weirdo who talked with a lizard. He planned to bring it to his friends first.

Natsu had forgotten something very, _very_ crucial there.

"Oh, there he is," Gray spoke up as he saw Natsu coming back, stabbing a meatball from Levy's spaghetti. Lucy turned her attention towards the pink-haired man to greet him, "What's taking you so long-"

"Hi!" Natsu grinned, pointing at the lizard on his shoulder. "Look what I found; a tough little lizard!"

Gray stopped eating.

Levy stopped drinking.

Lucy stopped breathing.

Natsu blinked at their sudden whiteness, "Huh, guys, what's wrong-"

"TAKE COVER!"

"HOLY SHIT!"

"WHAT?!" Natsu screamed as Gray jumped out of his seat while Levy jumped under the table then-

 _BUAGGHHHH!_

" **LIZAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDD!"**

The entire cafeteria was shaken by the mighty cry of Lucy Heartfilia, a swing of her bag managed to land a fatal blow on Natsu's face that unfortunately got hit instead of the lizard, spinning the real Salamander on mid-air before he flatly landed face-first on the floor. The lizard was knocked out of his shoulder and got thrown off a few meters away. The last thing Natsu saw with his spinning eyes was a running Lucy who left a huge gust of wind on the cafeteria. "…Fuck…"

Why in the heavens did he forget? It was the same reaction Lucy had when Natsu brought her to his house; letting her see something that should be called the second Komodo Island since he had too many lizards as his 'pets'. That was the reason Natsu swore not to let Lucy find out his identity as 'Salamander', the fiery King of Lizards, even though he really wished for it because _no one_ would dare to mess with his Lucy if they knew Salamander would roast them.

She'd kill him with her bag before he saved the day!

That's why, Lizard Man Salamander has a problem; his love interest is freaking scared of lizards.

* * *

 _Next: The Little Blue Bird_


	2. The Little Blue Bird

**Hi, I'm back to Chapter 2!**

 **Thank you for the reviews :) please leave one or more if you might because I like it :)**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _The Little Blue Bird_

* * *

There was a small routine that Salamander always did every night.

In the night of starry sky, the lizard man jumped over the buildings of Fiore City and crawled onto the walls like a lizard would. People who spotted him often cheered for him or taking his pictures, the superhero just waved back or did a funny victory pose. He continuously jumped and ran until he spotted a sign written 'Strawberry Street' that his mouth perked up into a huge grin. His nose twitched as the scent he's sniffling for was almost close. Just as he went past the sign-

"Oh, it's you again."

A young female voice halted his movement. Salamander landed on the nearest roof as he spotted a floating human in the skies of Strawberry Street.

That's right, there was a floating human in front of him. To put it precisely, a floating little girl. For someone who lived in Fiore City and was one of the superheroes, that sight was totally usual, even wide famous.

Friendly reminder that Fiore City had seven superheroes; one of them was Salamander. Each of them had a 'domain' to guard that corresponded to the regions of Fiore City. The seven heroes made a pact to protect their own domain and not to disturb another except when the hero in charge allows it. The pact was made under the government's watchful eyes to distribute their job properly and to avoid a fight between superheroes who were not in friendly-terms. Salamander's domain was Hargeon (where his house was), where he must protect it from villains or else.

However, Salamander had a small routine that made him went across another 'domain' every night, a region called Magnolia, to go to this Strawberry Street where it was guarded by the superhero who floated in front of him. The hero was famous for being the youngest and only female superhero. Her aerokinetic power was top-notch, and her famous name was Sky Maiden.

"Yo," Salamander greeted her with a salute, he could guess that behind her wing-shaped mask Sky Maiden rolled her eyes. She landed herself on a nearby pole smoothly. Her outfit was like that of a magical girl but decorated with wing-like patterns. Salamander often wondered if her spiky pink hair was her natural colour or a disguise like he did with his crimson hair.

"Sometimes I wonder why I allowed you for this," Sky Maiden sighed, "But stalking a young woman in the middle of the night is what I call pervert."

"I am not a perv," Salamander scoffed as he jumped past the wind user, who then manipulated the wind to send her flying to follow him. After a series of jumps, Salamander finally landed on a pole in front of a cosy house. The lamp on the house's second floor were still turned on, that meant the insider was still awake. Using his enhanced senses, Salamander locked his eyes to the window on the edge of the second floor, closed by a pink curtain. His nose stopped twitching, he had found what he searched for.

There was an angel behind that curtain.

"You're peeking at Lucy Heartfilia _every night_ ," Sky Maiden floated beside him with a cynical look, "Pervert."

"I said I'm not!" Salamander huffed, "I'm just checking on her every night to make sure she's okay," then he growled quietly, "It'd be easier if she lives in my domain."

"Just say you like her, you dodo," Sky Maiden retorted, "For a man with superpower, you have no guts."

"You say so?" Salamander asked cynically, "You think?" he raised his eyebrow to show his dismay.

"Just knock on her window then-Oh," out of the blue, Sky Maiden fell silent as she stared at the lizard man, then in a gesture of sympathy, lowered her head, "Sorry, I forgot."

"Accepted," Salamander huffed then turned his attention back to Lucy behind that curtain. The thought had crossed his mind ever since he started 'checking on her'. Rather than doing something like a pervert would- he just admitted that he's a pervert, didn't he- he'd rather knock on her door and bid her goodnight every night. Unfortunately, she'd probably hit him with the nearest frying pan she found in a similar fashion like she did in the cafeteria to the poor lizard. Exactly what you expected from someone with excessive fear of lizards who was approached by the 'King of Lizards'.

She couldn't even say 'Salamander' without stutters, tears, and shivers on her spine!

"By the way," Salamander turned his attention to the super girl suspiciously, "How do you know Lucy and her dumb fear of lizards?"

"She's famous of her beauty," Sky Maiden replied which Natsu couldn't agree more, "And of all Magnolia women who go Mamma Mia because of lizards, she's the worst."

"Point taken," Salamander shut his mouth then returned to his stalking- what, that was the truth. Rolling her eyes at the love-struck hopeless hero, Sky Maiden decided to give him some space as she flew to the sky, doing her night guard somewhere in Magnolia.

Salamander had to hold his urge to open that curtain and bid Lucy goodnight, he might even peek at her nightgown! Did she wear pajamas or just in undergarments? Was her bed comfy? Could he try to sleep there occasionally with Lucy? Wow, he's really a sicko pervert, wasn't he?

Shaking his head off his censored imagination, Salamander decided to wait until Lucy turned off the lamps and drifted off to sleep where she might dream of her knight in shining armor, even though her hero in reptilian outfit was waiting for her outside.

* * *

"This is your definition of somewhere?"

It was weekend, and just like Erza said, she had free tickets to go somewhere and invited her friends to go with her. It turned out 'somewhere' was Fiore City's amusement park, the Ryuuzetsu Land.

It's not like Gray didn't like it but he had gone there, countless times since his youth, "I mean, we're already college students for crying out loud," he explained. Levy laughed and brushed his words off, "Who cares? If we're going out with our friends, everything will turn out fun!"

"That's exactly my point," Erza nodded with a proud smile, who just wanted to go there because with that mature boobs on her chest there was a baby's brain on her head. Even Gray and Levy knew about it.

"Liar."

"The time is nigh, let's go have fun!" Erza obviously ignored them as she pointed her finger at the amusement's entrance with sparkling eyes. "Let's go Gray, Levy, Natsu, Lucy-" she stopped as she glanced at the last two on her sentence.

"Sorry for hitting you back then," Lucy apologized as she rubbed Natsu's right cheek where she landed her deadly bag blow in the cafeteria, "But you know I hate lizards," she pouted cutely.

"Nah, I'm good," Natsu grinned, enjoying the smooth sensation of Lucy's palm on his face, "I've got a thick skull," earning a giggle from the blonde's mouth. They stayed in that position for a while.

The three leftovers stared at the obvious chemistry with blank eyes and mouth shut.

"Y'know what? Let's just go inside."

"I agree."

"Let's have fun, _three of us._ "

"Huh? Guys?" Lucy turned to her gloomy friends, so did Natsu, "Where are you going? Wait for us!"

* * *

True to Levy's words, everything turned fun when you had your friends around, especially the one who captivated your eyes and mind, for Natsu's case.

Being a natural beauty, it's usual for Lucy to attract the male visitors of the park. But fortune was not on their side because every time their eyes looked at her with flirtatious manner, they'd be greeted by growls and blazing glares from none other than Natsu, making them shudder. As for Levy, she's also attractive with her petite figure, but somehow every men who tried to flirt with her had goosebumps over their body as if they were pierced by an iron pole. Erza was a special case, she's terrifying in her own ways. Gray only cared about ice-related stands.

They went to roller coasters (Natsu always took a seat beside Lucy's), haunted house and labyrinth (Natsu cheated on Erza's lottery to be with Lucy), carousel, water rides, photo booths, and the last but not the least; the Ferris wheel.

"Can…we…just…take…a breath?" Lucy panted heavily and rhymed with Levy after they rode on seven different attractions in a row. Natsu, being the civilian form of Salamander, still had his flaming spirit while Gray replenished his strength by eating a shaved ice. As for Erza? Well, she's Erza.

"C'mon, Luce! There's still the Ferris wheel!" Natsu beamed as he grabbed Lucy's hand, playfully dragging her towards the wheel. "Have you ever felt tired?" Lucy asked in annoyance. "You just have to sit while enjoying the scenery on the wheel so what's the big deal?" Natsu asked back.

Lucy sighed in defeat, letting Natsu did whatever he wanted to her. She just had to ride in the Ferris wheel with this embodiment of energy, right? "Fine… make sure we get the nicest- _Wendy, what are you doing?!"_

"Ha?" noticing Lucy's sudden outburst, everyone turned their eyes to where Lucy's eyes directed at, which was not far away from their place. They saw something utterly risky as there's a little girl climbing on a tall tree, small leaves and branches got stuck in her long blue hair as she sat on a branch to reach out a balloon that got stuck in the tree. Like Lucy, the little girl let out a shriek of surprise, _"L-Lucy?!"_

"Eh, what?!" another girlish voice shrieked and everyone spotted another girl with her pink hair tied up in twintails, her hand rubbing circles on a little boy's back who was hiccupping in sadness under that tree. She cringed at the sight of Lucy, "Oh, um, hi Lucy-san!"

Before Natsu could ask how they knew each other, Lucy let go of Natsu's hand and approached those kids, she put her hands on her hip then called out to the girl on the tree, "Wendy, get down this instant! That's dangerous!"

"But Lucy-san, this is Wendy we're talking about," the pink-haired girl said.

"Hush you."

"W-wait! At least let me get it-" Wendy stuttered then let out a sigh of relief as her hand finally reached the balloon's tail. Lucy's friends finally reached them and gaped their mouths at how daring Wendy was to climb a tree thrice an adult's height. "Alright I'm done, no worries!" she beamed at Lucy who gave her a skeptical look. The little boy squealed in happiness; seemed like the balloon belonged to him.

"Holy crap!" the adults except Lucy screamed as Wendy freaking jumped off the tree, using her legs to slide down the tree with impressive balance then landed flawlessly on the ground. "See, no harm's done-"

She tripped. Over nothing. Then fell face first on the ground.

Lucy face palmed.

* * *

 _Next: The Ferris Wheel Date_


	3. The Ferris Wheel Date

**I guess everyone might wonder if there would be action scenes in this story since this is a superhero AU. Well, you should continue reading it to find out :)** **and maybe you'd have the scenes you wanted!**

 **Again, thanks for the reviews! Please do it again or more if you might because I really like it. Perhaps it'd make me update faster...**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _The Ferris Wheel Date_

* * *

"Look at you, you're a mess," Lucy scolded as she pulled out small leaves and branches from Wendy's hair. She had retrieved the balloon for the little boy and he was escorted back to his parents by the pink-haired girl.

"What you girls did is indeed worth of praise," Erza stated, "But next time, you should call securities or other adults to get it," she reprimanded sternly. Wendy pouted and lowered her head, embarrassed at her ridiculous fall.

"Hey, don't be so hard on her. She's a tough little cookie," Natsu defended her, still being impressed at her previous stunt. "By the way, what's her name?" he curiously asked, kneeling in front of her with a friendly grin, the girl was grateful for his praise as she shyly smiled back.

"Guys, this is Wendy Marvell," Lucy gestured to the girl, "She's the baby I babysit."

"I'm not a baby," Wendy pouted in a similar fashion like Lucy. The blonde woman playfully flicked her temple as a display of affection, "You still act like one."

Natsu opened his mouth in a perfect 'O', so she was Lucy's 'baby', seeing her with his own eyes put his heart at ease. While Erza and Levy gushed at how cute Wendy was, Gray noticed the pink-haired girl coming back. "Hey, doesn't she look like Sherry?" he narrowed his eyes.

Everyone turned their heads at the girl, who indeed looked like one of their colleagues Sherry Blendy, "Huh? Is something wrong with my face?" the girl asked. Lucy let out a small chuckle, "She's Chelia, Sherry's cousin," she introduced her. "She's my bestie," Wendy added. Everyone poked their fist to their palm, "Oh."

"By the way," Lucy spoke up with a stern voice, "What are you doing in this park unsupervised?" she raised her eyebrow to the girls, who flinched at her words. "We're not unsupervised. Sherry-san and her boyfriend came with us," Wendy explained.

"And where are they now?"

"Riding on a love boat."

"Leaving you two alone? I'm going to have a word with them," Lucy muttered under her breath. "Well, you did tell me you're hanging out with Chelia somewhere today. So, this is your definition of 'somewhere'," Lucy added.

"Wow, she said the same sentence as mine," Gray snickered, "Maybe it's destiny- _Gah!_ " then Natsu elbowed him. "Why don't you come with us?" Levy suggested, "We're going to ride the Ferris wheel."

"Ah, Wendy can't ride on it since she's too short- _Hau!"_ Chelia shrieked as Wendy stepped on her foot. The adults frowned, they were unsure for what should they do next. These girls should not be left alone, being pre-teens who often got to trouble even though they didn't mean to.

"Alright then," Lucy sighed after she came up with an idea, "I'll stay with them until Sherry gets back. You guys ride the Ferris wheel without me."

"What?!" everyone shouted, the loudest was Natsu. "Are you sure, Lucy?" Erza asked, who received a nod from the blonde, "I'm fine with it," she explained, she already had so much fun after all.

"But I want to ride it!" Natsu whined, earning a strange look from Lucy, "Then ride it."

"I want you to ride it!"

"Er, why?"

"Gah!" Natsu crouched on the ground and clutched his head in frustration, grumbling. Other adults but Lucy was obvious to what he truly meant as they rolled their eyes. But oblivious to everyone, the little blue-haired girl eyed Natsu in an analyzing manner then reverted to her normal innocence look when her babysitter landed her eyes on her.

"We'll be okay with ourselves, Lucy," Wendy tried to assure her, "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't raise a flag, young lady."

"Oops."

"We'll just sit down over there," Chelia said and pointed at a nearby chair, "Waiting for Sherry and Ren to get us. We won't go anywhere, promise!"

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed then shut up when Lucy glared at him. In truth, Natsu didn't want to leave the girls alone as well. What if they caused another trouble or someone tried to do terrible things to those pure innocent beings? Unfortunately, his selfish side just wanted to ride the wheel with Lucy. What sadistic choices!

"Alright, you two," Erza wrapped her arms around Gray and Levy's shoulder, butting their heads with hers, "Discussion time," while Natsu and Lucy had their wacky arguments.

"Let's decide with rock-paper-scissors," Natsu suggested, "If I win, you leave those girls alone!" why did he sound like a hero who tried to save the girls?

"If I win, they're mine!" and Lucy just sounded like the evil villain who went after the girls. They faced each other with their hands in front of them determinedly, "Rock, paper, sciss-"

"Very well, the judge has decided," suddenly Erza declared with a clap, stepping between the heated rock-paper-scissors. "Eh?!" Natsu and Lucy shrieked as Gray and Levy suddenly picked them up and brought them to the Ferris wheel. Erza demanded everyone to give them a way with her glare, breaking the queue. After they got to the opened gondola, Gray and Levy threw the perplexed couple inside and locked the gondola from outside before Lucy could scream why.

"We'll take care of the girls!" Levy waved her hand as the gondola moved away slowly, Wendy and Chelia giggling behind her back. That managed to put Lucy at ease. "You owe me one, Ash Fart," Gray smirked at Natsu, the pink-haired man managed to listen thanks to his heightened sense. He snorted but couldn't hide the grin on his face.

At the gondola, there were only the two of them.

"Seriously, Natsu," Lucy sighed, she took a seat in front of him in a relaxing way, "If you want me to ride it, we should've waited for Sherry to get those girls first."

"I know~ but now's the perfect time, Luce!" Natsu said as he pointed his finger at the gondola's window, "Look! I bet you'll love it," he exclaimed. Lucy's eyes followed the direction of his finger and couldn't help but widen themselves in awe.

Being 300-ft tall, the scenery of Fiore City could be seen spectacularly from Ryuuzetsu's Ferris wheel, not to forget the clear blue sky above that just added the beauty. Lucy put her palm on the window as she stared down, seeing people in the park scattering around like little ants. Natsu could see excitement and awe from those attractive brown eyes of hers.

"Told ya," Natsu grinned and enjoyed the light from the clear blue sky as the gondola rotated gently. Thank this universe that he didn't have something like motion sickness!

When they were exactly on the top, Lucy felt her phone vibrated for a sec then looked at it, "Levy-chan asked how's our ride going," she giggled, "Maybe we should take some photos," she suggested as she prepared the camera on her cell phone to be sent to her friends.

"Let's do that!" Natsu agreed, "But you're the one taking 'em," he requested because every time he took photos, everyone looked like ghosts passing by.

Lucy searched for a perfect spot then lifted her phone up, "Alright, this is nice! Come here, Natsu!" she beamed as Natsu moved from his seat to sit beside Lucy. "Move a little bit closer, you're out of the picture," Lucy informed with a pout, they might have huddled up together but the frame didn't fit.

"Like this?" Natsu asked in a serious tone.

"Great-Wait, wait, too close!" Lucy squeaked because Natsu leaned his face so close to Lucy's that they almost kissed. Surprised of the sudden act, Lucy accidentally clicked the camera button, capturing the photo of a blushing Lucy with Natsu's serious face facing each other. "W-Why are you facing me?!"

"You said I've got to move closer."

"Yes, to the camera, not my face!"

"Oh, you should've said so."

"Seriously!" Lucy pouted then took a deep breath to regain her composure. "Let's do it right this time," she lifted her camera again, this time Natsu and Lucy faced the camera with wide smiles on their faces, their shoulders touched each other as they chorused together, "One…two…three…Cheese!"

* * *

"Just fucking kiss already!"

"Language!" Erza smacked Gray's head. The three adults and two little girls made a circle to see Natsu and Lucy's photos in the Ferris wheel, they were looking at Lucy's first photo which she accidentally took and sent to Levy's phone. "I'll definitely keep this one…!" Levy squealed behind her covered mouth, trying to keep her excitement in control.

"Ah, adult love," Chelia gushed in wonder, "We'll understand it someday," she nudged Wendy who couldn't help but smile.

* * *

After taking enough photos, Natsu and Lucy stayed in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company as their eyes stared at the clear blue sky.

"The weather is so nice, isn't it?" Lucy mumbled in fascination. "I guess it'd be so great if I can see a starry night from this place," she added hopefully.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Natsu chimed, "Why don't we ride this little fella at night next time?"

Lucy let out a giggle that went through Natsu's ears as if it was a siren's song, "I'd love to," she smiled, unable to hide those rosy cheeks of hers which held many meanings. "Thank you, Natsu," she thanked him with all her heart, her smile never leaving her face as she deeply stared at his onyx eyes.

"Anytime, Luce."

Natsu wondered if he could ever live without that smile.

* * *

"So, how's your date?"

"Levy-chan, we're not dating!" Lucy half-shrieked, Levy's smirk made her blush more, that's totally part of her teasing materials. Meanwhile, seeing Gray eating his ice cream brought Natsu's appetite back. "Hey, let's grab some food before we go home," he suggested, rubbing his belly before it growled in hunger.

"Let's wait for Erza first," Levy suggested, "She's taking the girls back to Sherry and Ren."

"She is?" Lucy frowned, "And here I wished I could do that," she pouted, still wanting to give those two an earful for leaving her 'baby' and her bestie without proper supervision.

"They're going to be fine," Natsu assured her, "They're with Erza. What could possibly go wrong?"

 _*ring ring*_

"Huh?" Lucy noticed her phone was ringing inside her purse. She pulled it out and saw Erza's name and phone number on the screen. She swiped the button then put the phone on her ear, "Erza? What's wrong?"

" _Kill me, Lucy."_

"Pardon?"

" _It's the girls,"_ Erza's voice from the other side of the phone was shaky, _"They've been kidnapped."_

* * *

 _Next: The Bird and The Lizard_


	4. The Bird and The Lizard

**I'm back.**

 **I'll go straight to the point: Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The Bird and The Lizard_

* * *

It was a strange sight as four adults sprinted on the street of Ryuuzetsu Land as if they're doing an Olympic race, and it was utterly shocking that Lucy beat Natsu, the real Salamander, to reach their scarlet-haired friend who's sulking on the edge of the street in absolute despair. Beside her was a crying Sherry in Ren's arms and a panicked security guard. The other visitors stared at them in confusion.

"Somebody please kill me!" Erza wailed in extreme guilt.

"Calm down, miss!" the guard pleaded, "Rather than blaming yourself, please follow me to our office so you can tell us the chronology of the kidnapping."

"Kill me then I'll tell you."

"…"

"Erza!" Lucy tackled her to the ground, startling the already speechless guard. She brought her face close to hers so Erza could see her demanding eyes, "Tell. Me. What. Happened!" Lucy shook her shoulders in every word she said. No one could ever guess that Lucy had the guts to do that to _Erza_ of all people. Natsu had to pry her off Erza to give some space, "Lucy! Lucy! Calm down!"

"I AM CALM!"she went hysterical. The only one with a working brain was Levy as she ordered Gray to call his dad, who's working at the police. Then she decided to ask Ren, the one with enough sanity remained. "Ren, tell me what happened!"

"There's a parade here a while ago," Ren began, though he's shaking, "The street was crowded with many people. Sherry and I spotted Erza and the girls on the crowd. When the girls ran towards us, two bastards suddenly grabbed them out of nowhere! Shit, that happened so fast," he cursed, "They're bringing them separately. Erza chased the bastard who got Wendy while we chased the one with Chelia. It's fucking hard to find them because we're totally crowded. Erza got arrested by the guard because her way of chasing was brutal. When the parade ended… they're gone," he gritted his teeth angrily.

"A joint kidnapping," Levy gulped at the thought, the tension rose to the fullest. Lucy's face was in total anguish. "My pops' on his way!" Gray reported after he closed his phone, "What do we do now?!"

"Kill me!" Erza suggested.

"Like I said, follow me already!" that came out from the guard who shouted to get their attention, even he lost it. "I'll tell what happened to the manager and he'll send a signal for Sky Maiden to help out!"

Everyone blinked. Sherry stopped bawling her eyes out, but her mascara already ran down her cheeks.

Oh right, there're in a city where superheroes existed! Just send them a signal to help! Gray immediately recalled that Ryuuzetsu Land was in Magnolia, Sky Maiden's domain. This was her time to shine.

Lucy slumped to her knees, her eyes watered, "…Will she save them?" she whispered and trembled a little. It's not like she didn't trust Sky Maiden, she's the hero who guarded her home. But one of the kidnapped girls was her 'baby' and it really crushed her.

Levy knelt down beside her and rubbed her back, "Let's put our faith in her, that's the only thing we can do. Now, let's go to the office," Levy offered her best friend a hand. The guard decided to drag Erza with him because she clung to him. Ren took care of Sherry.

Gray's anxiety still killed him. That couldn't be helped, the kidnapped girls just became friends with him and he liked them already. He pitied Lucy and Sherry, they must've had it worse than him. "Oi, Natsu," he whispered to the disguised superhero, "How are we supposed to signal the Maiden-"

He turned around to find no Natsu.

Realization hit him hard, "That goddamn moron-!"

* * *

After gaining the info he needed, Natsu wasted no time to rush to a nearby alley then put off his shirt and pants, revealing the Salamander suit hidden in his civilian clothes. His scarf was still intact and he pulled out his mask to wear it. Then he turned his hair crimson as the last touch. Finally, Natsu went Salamander.

The Lizard Man smacked his head to the ground, rubbing his enhanced nose on it to sniff Wendy and Chelia's scents desperately. He felt half-relief and half-distress because he only found Chelia's. Thinking that's better than finding none, Salamander jumped over the theme park at extreme speed that everyone only spotted a flash of red over the sky, thinking it was an attraction, to find the pink-haired girl.

What he's doing was extremely reckless and insane. He knew he's not in his domain but Sky Maiden's. His action would break the heroes' domain agreement! The wind-user would blast him off to Jupiter or even worse; forbid him to 'check on' Lucy forever. But who cares about domain?! The girls in trouble were his friends and he blamed himself for this mess because one: if he didn't force Lucy to ride the wheel but stayed with her to watch the girls this wouldn't happen; two: if he listened to Lucy about waiting for Sherry this wouldn't happen; and last: if only he didn't raise the damn flag.

His superhuman speed finally brought him to a 'Do Not Enter' area of the theme park. There's a wall made of wires between that area and the farthest reach of Ryuuzetsu Land. Salamander recalled there's a cancelled attraction in the theme park that got abandoned since the park had too many projects. Maybe this was the place. He noticed a small hole on the wall, enough for a person to crawl in.

Salamander bent the wires effortlessly and got inside. He found a small building there. His ears caught the noises of talking men, and he sensed malice on their voices. He smelled an unfamiliar scent that got mixed with Chelia's, that must be the kidnapper who took her away. He also smelled another that got mixed with Wendy's; even though she's nowhere to be found.

Anger boiled inside him as he though any kind of harm those kidnappers might inflict upon Chelia and what they had done to erase Wendy's scent. Unable to hold his wrath any longer, Salamander slammed the door open with his fiery fists then roared, "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF-"

 _ **BOOOOOOMMMMM!**_

That was certainly unexpected.

Salamander never guessed that he'd be greeted by a tornado once the door opened. The door flew back to him and they slammed onto each other, the huge whirl of wind sent him flying to the wall of wires. Dusts clouded his eyes and throat moments later. After he landed roughly on the ground, Salamander coughed then removed the door from his sight and saw something utterly unbelievable.

Ten unconscious men scattered on the ground in front of him, the building was ruined to dust. Then there was Chelia, standing at the centre of the ruined building unharmed as she cheered, "You rock, Wendy!"

"Seriously," the dust slowly cleared off and there was none other than Sky Maiden, "Kidnapping little girls in my domain is utterly stupid," she landed smoothly beside Chelia, "But kidnapping _me_ is advanced stupid," she ended her statement as she flipped her pink hair that turned blue, removed her mask and revealed none other than Wendy Marvell.

"Thanks for keeping my clothes, Chelia," Wendy said. Chelia smiled, Wendy's clothes were in her grasp, "No problem!"

Then everything clicked in, why Salamander did not find Wendy's scent… because she went Sky Maiden all this time.

A moment of silence for Salamander's brain to function. 3, 2, 1-

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Salamander flipped the door because there was no table.

"Whazzat?!" Wendy and Chelia chorused, the first one hurriedly went Sky Maiden but forgot to wear her mask then gaped her mouth at its widest at the sight in front of them.

There was Salamander who removed his mask and turned his hair back to salmon, revealing a very sweaty Natsu Dragneel, "I-I-I-I-I-I'll reveal myself as well s-s-s-so we're even-!"

" **-SALAMANDEEEEERRRRRRRRR!"**

* * *

The police surrounded the destroyed forbidden area, followed by a crowd of curious people, the manager of the park, and the girls' relatives and friends. Gray's father Officer Silver ordered his men to capture the kidnappers who were half-conscious.

"They're Eisenwald, a wanted gang who kidnapped girls for cash," Silver informed Gray and his friends, "So they've been hiding in this abandoned park all this time! It's all thanks to Sky Maiden's bird that guided us to this place," he lifted up his head to see a small bird flying around the crime scene in circles. If Salamander had the ability to talk to lizards, then Sky Maiden had the same ability but to birds.

"Sherry!" a girlish voice caught everyone's attention as Chelia emerged from the police who stood in front of the police line, waving her hand to her cousin. The woman threw herself to the little girl, crying out loud about how glad she was to find her, "Oh, Chelia! I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried.

Touched by her cousin's concern, Chelia dropped a small tear on her eye, "I'm fine now, Sherry. Thanks…"

Lucy had to stop looking around for a little blue-haired girl to watch the heart-warming scene. Like everyone, she could not help but smile warmly. Then unconsciously she's also moved to tears because how she wished to find Wendy as well-

"Yo, Luce!" a familiar voice startled her, "You okay there?" then she turned around to find Natsu beside her. "Natsu? Where have you been?" Lucy asked then covered her nose hurriedly, "Why do you smell like garbage?" she asked, no offense.

"Oh, this? I guess I ran into a trash bin a while ago," Natsu replied. In truth, he accidentally threw his clothes to a trash bin when he went Salamander and was forced to wear them again to hide his suit. "But who cares? Look, I find somethin' good!"

"Please don't be another lizard."

"Nah," Natsu stepped aside and smiled, "It's a little blue bird!" Lucy widened her eyes to find-

"Oh, quit it Natsu-san," the 'little blue bird' Natsu referred to.

There's Wendy, standing behind him all this time.

"Wendy!" Lucy cried, kneeling in front of the girl then hugged her as tight as she could. Wendy wrapped her tiny arms around Lucy, enjoying her warm embrace. Natsu wished he could do the same someday.

"You're okay…" the blonde ran her fingers to her blue hair and rubbed her cheek to Wendy's, sobbing on her shoulder as well, "Oh thank God you're okay…"

Everyone turned their attention to them and cheered, all kidnapped girls had been rescued. Natsu grinned widely beside Lucy and Wendy as his other friends approached them with smiles on their faces. Gray decided to ask Natsu where had he been later.

"I'm okay," Wendy assured her one more time, "Let's go home, Lucy," she requested as Lucy removed herself from her shoulder so they could look to each other's eyes but still held Wendy in her arms. The beauty nodded her head as a response.

"By the way, where's Sky Maiden?" Levy wondered, "Why did she leave already? We haven't thanked her enough."

"She must've fought so hard to rescue the girls," Erza added in admiration, "I mean look at this place, it's all in shambles as if two superhumans had fought here."

"Yeah, right..." a certain blue-haired girl and pink-haired man replied nervously.

Chelia rolled her eyes, recalling the moment when she had to save herself from a super chase between an enraged Sky Maiden and a scared Salamander that destroyed the area. Fortunately, they stopped after they formed a deal to keep each other's identity a secret, especially from a certain blonde beauty.

Natsu gazed at Wendy, whose hand was being held by her babysitter to guide her home. As if realizing his gaze, Wendy gazed back and nodded without words.

There's something… or someone they really need to discuss later...

* * *

 _Next: The Dinner Discussion_


End file.
